Ted

Ted is an English familiar form of Edward or Edmund, both rooted in Old English elements meaning wealth or fortune combined with guard or protector. The pet name arose through a medieval English habit of rhyming substitution, the same process that turned William into Bill and Robert into Bob. Ted Roosevelt, the popular nickname of American president Theodore Roosevelt, also helped cement the name's independent identity. Theodore, itself from Greek meaning gift of god, is another common full form that Ted serves as a short form for, with Ned and Ed being related English diminutives.